In a groundbreaking event for women in motorsport, Abbi Pulling emerged as the fastest driver during the all-female Formula E test at the Jarama circuit in Spain on Friday. The F1 Academy points leader clocked an impressive time of 1m30.889s in the final hour of the three-hour session, surpassing W Series champion Jamie Chadwick by 0.320 seconds.
History is made 🙌 💪
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) November 8, 2024
We go GREEN and the Women's Test is underway.
This inaugural event saw all 11 Formula E teams required to field at least one female driver, resulting in a total of 18 participants testing the new Gen3 Evo machines. Pulling’s performance was particularly noteworthy as it was her first experience behind the wheel of a Formula E car. Remarkably, she finished just 4.5 seconds off the quickest time set earlier in the day by Jaguar’s Mitch Evans during the pre-season test.
Chadwick, who previously tested Formula E machinery with Jaguar in 2020, recorded the most laps during the session, completing 39. McLaren’s Bianca Bustamante made history by becoming the first driver to dip below the 1m32s barrier, ultimately securing third place, 0.826 seconds adrift of Pulling.
Miki Koyama also showed significant improvement, finishing fourth, while Sauber Academy driver Léna Bühler and Beitske Visser for DS Penske rounded out the top six. However, the session faced a brief interruption when F1 Academy driver Jessica Edgar crashed into the barriers at Turn 3, prompting a red flag for recovery efforts.
Among the notable participants was Simona de Silvestro, who returned to Formula E after competing in 12 races during the Gen1 era from 2014 to 2016. Driving for customer team Kiro, she faced technical issues that limited her to just six laps.
Unfortunately, Jaguar’s Lilou Wadoux was unable to take part in the session due to a seat fitting issue that prevented her from making it onto the track. A spokesperson for Jaguar expressed disappointment at the situation, stating, “We are all really disappointed that Lilou was unable to take part in the women’s test session as we know she is a fantastic racing driver with incredible talent.”
The all-female test is a significant step towards inclusivity in motorsport, showcasing the talent and potential of female drivers in a traditionally male-dominated arena. As Pulling moves closer to potentially clinching the F1 Academy title at the next round in Qatar, which would secure her a fully funded drive in the UK’s GB3 Championship next season, the future looks bright for these remarkable athletes.
